Hi Tweeters:
My sister and I birded Lake Sammamish State Park Sat morning, May 5. It is
a wonderful 500 plus acre park on the south end of Lk Sammamish in Issaquah.
A map of the park w/ birding notes is on p 164 of Opperman's A Birder's
Guide to Washington. We met over at Tibbett's Park which is located south
of I-90. Take hwy 900 (exit 15 from I-90) and head south (towards Renton)
about 6 blocks to
the last light as you head south. Turn left on Newport Way and take an
immed. right into the park. There used to be a Park and Ride across the
street, but it is now gone? A wetland at the Tibbetts parking
lot had a River Otter in it. A light pole in the middle of the park has a
large Osprey nest with two Ospreys in it.
We then drove to Microsoft parking lot on the SE end of Lk Sam SP. The park
is bordered on the south by NW Sammamish Rd, and on the east by E Lk Sam
Parkway. To get to Microsoft, we took hwy 900 (at exit 15) to the north to
NW Sam Rd, veared right (east) almost to E Lk Sam Pkway. Before the
Parkway, we turned left (north) on 220th Ave SE. About 3 blocks in, we
turned left at the MS parking garage and drove to the back of their parking
area. It was the weekend, so there were plenty of places to park. This
area is at the border of Lk Sam SP. There are overlooks here, and a wetland
with Virginia Rails and such. Issaquah Creek is near the overlooks. We saw
a Virginia Rail, a Cooper's Hawk, and several Vaux's Swifts here. A trail
goes down into the fields of the park. We walked down it, about a block,
and walked over to a bank overlooking the creek. It was fairly quiet here,
but gets much more birdy as May progresses. Eventually there can be Green
Herons, and Bullock's Oriole. But not yet this spring...
We next drove north on E Lk Sam Parkway, and turned left at the boat launch.
We were at the far NE corner of the park. Two HORNED GREBES in breeding
plumage were out in the lake. A juv Bald Eagle flew over. A trail goes
left from the boat launch, next to the lake. A few Orange-crowned Warblers
were heard. We heard several PURPLE FINCHES singing, and eventually watched
a beautiful male singing on the top of a bare shrub. From a bench in the
fields, we viewed the large heronry as you look to the east across the field
toward the boat launch . The GREAT BLUE HERON adults stood above the nests,
and fed and preened some young birds that stayed low in the nests. As we
walked back we saw an Or-crowned Warbler as it flew, and in a flock of
Audubon's Yellow-rumps we saw one silent WARBLING VIREO flitting with the
flock in the bushes near the boat ramp.
We drove back to the south side of the park, and west along NW Sam Rd to the
far SW corner of the park to the main entrance. We drove in there and
parked across from the group picnic area, as the main swimming beach parking
isn't open yet. We walked in toward the swimming beach to the mouth of
Issaquah Creek. On the beach there was a SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Walking to the
right, there were several Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warblers. (During the
day, we saw mostly Audubon's and one Myrtle Yel-rump.) The warblers this
Saturday were chipping and singing, but the numbers were nothing like the
hordes of Yel-rumps we had seen on an Amy Schillinger RAS field trip the
weekend before.
Out at the sandbar, there was a single Least Sandpiper.
We walked back thru the swimming beach area. There was hardly anyone
around, since the parking lot is closed. There were ten AMERICAN PIPITS and
6 LEAST SANDPIPERS foraging on the grass and beach. We finished our day
about 12:30pm.
The next day, Sun, May 6, my sister went up to Juanita Bay Park. As they
walked out on the west boardwalk about 11:30am, they heard Common Loons
calling! Two COMMON LOONS in breeding plumage were out in Lake Washington
to the west of the Juanita Bay boardwalk. After a little while, they flew
away.
Yours, Carol Schulz, Des Moines, linusq at att.net